Les Pagodes de Cos is, strictly speaking, Cos d’Estournel’s “second wine”. The vines that produce it are eventually used for the “Grand Vin” which is an 1855 Grand Cru Classé. They are grown on the same terroir and are treated in the same way.

The tiny 4-hectare vineyard of Château La Clotte sits just outside the village of St-Émilion. The vineyards are edged by a limestone cliff, in which there are caves – La Clotte is a local Gascon word for "cave dweller" – and these caves have conveniently become cellars for the winery.

Alter Ego was born with the 1998 vintage. It resulted from a new approach to selecting and blending devised to interpret the Château Palmer terroir differently without departing from the values that make the reputation of our wines – namely, finesse and elegance, aromatic richness, harmony and length.

In 1869 the vineyards were split up between the owner's two children and they have been owned and run separately ever since. Beauséjour-Duffau, a 1er Grand Cru Classé B property, is located on the Côtes of St-Émilion, on the edge of a limestone plateau. Its vineyards are planted on soils rich in calcareous clay and limestone and adjoin those of Château Canon ...

"Since 1989, Montrose has been the most reliable St-Estèphe cru classé. Over recent vintages, it has regularly surpassed Cos d’Estournel, its closest rival, and Calon-Ségur, despite the improved quality of the latter wine. A revised classification might even rank it amongst the Médoc first growths."

Château Lynch-Bages was founded in 1749 by Thomas Lynch, the son of an Irish immigrant from Galway. The estate was sold to Sebastien Jurine, a Swiss wine merchant, in 1824 and the wine went on to achieve Fifth Growth status in the 1855 Bordeaux Classification. Jean-Charles Cazes purchased the property in 1938 and the Cazes family has run the business ever since.

"Château Talbot takes its name from John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, who in 1453 suffered the ignominy of losing the battle — and with it his life — which allowed Bordeaux and its vineyards to slip back into French control after belonging to the British Crown for over 340 years.

"Château Talbot takes its name from John Talbot, Earl of Shrewsbury, who in 1453 suffered the ignominy of losing the battle — and with it his life — which allowed Bordeaux and its vineyards to slip back into French control after belonging to the British Crown for over 340 years.

The grand vin of Château Phélan Ségur comes from this magnificent terroir of Saint-Estèphe where power dominates. Strengthened by its origins, Château Phélan Ségur has created its identity based on elegance and finesse. With a certain restraint and great precision, it reveals the purity of the fruit, the accuracy of its struct...

Château Pichon Longueville Lalande is one of the most important Super Seconds and this 2ème Cru Classé Pauillac estate has made tremendous strides in the last 20 years. This is largely due to the energy, drive and ambition of May-Eliane de Lenquesaing, who took over the property in 1978.

Château Gazin was reputedly built upon the ruins of the Hôpital de Pomeyrols which was originally established by the Knights of Malta in the 12th century. It has been owned by the Bailliencourts dit Courcol, one of France's oldest families, since the beginning of the last century.

After a mild, very dry winter, the growing season got off to a strong start thanks to abnormally high temperatures in spring. In fact, the months of April and May were the warmest in over a century! As a result, flowering took place 3 weeks ahead of time, in mid-May, auguring well for a very early harvest.

"The second wine of Haut-Brion is now called Le Clarence de Haut-Brion, and the 2010 is among the finest I have tasted there. It is a broad, powerful and more muscular wine than its cross-street rival, La Chapelle de la Mission, but all the same, it is wonderfully fresh and precise, with notes of blueberry and boysenberry as well as hints of smoke and wet stones. Endowed with gorgeous fruit,...

CHANEL purchased Château Rauzan-Ségla in April 1994 and immediately started a full renovation programme. The vineyard has been drained — a 15-kilometre network is now in place, two parcels of Petit Verdot were planted and three hectares of vines were grafted over with Merlot.

"Yquem’s greatness and uniqueness are certainly a result of a number of factors.

"First, it has a perfect location that is said to have its own microclimate. Second, the Lur Saluces family installed an elaborate drainage system with over 60 miles of pipes. Third, there is a fanatical obsession at Yquem to produce only the finest wines regardless of financial loss or trouble.